Talk about first world problems. This insightful documentary from Stephen Kijak follows the (in)famous moment in rock history when The Stones were living as tax exiles in France in 1972, recording the classic, frankly brilliant ‘Exile On Main Street’ . Baked…and then there’s BAKED. Keef, chilling in the sun. In their fabulous interior at VilleContinue reading “Film Review: The Rolling Stones:Stones In Exile”
Tag Archives: Rock
Album Review: Death Valley Girls-Welcome To Earth
Picture credit: Sheva Kafai Portents of red moons,flowers and cosmic symbols? Must be the new album from Death Valley Girls. The gals who once convinced Iggy Pop to do an Andy Warhol and eat a burger in their ‘Disaster’ video, are back, with a few changes to their winning formula, but it’s still recognisably them.Continue reading “Album Review: Death Valley Girls-Welcome To Earth”
Iggy and The Stooges,1970 TV Broadcast
In 1970, nobody had seen the like of Iggy Pop. A writhing Dionysus, feline, stalking, feral creature, he was, as Iggy himself said, the antithesis of “are you having a good time, ladies and gentlemen”. The Stooges were wild, psychedelic, anti-cliche, unafraid to experiment. This clip from a Cincinnati gig, shows the Igster getting upContinue reading “Iggy and The Stooges,1970 TV Broadcast”
Film Review: God Bless Ozzy Osbourne
Mike Piscitelli and Mike Fleiss spent a few years on the road with the late Brummie rock legend Ozzy Osbourne while filming this excellent documentary. The insights they gleaned are eye-opening, to say the least, from vocal warm-ups and rituals, to paparazzi intrusion to the complete excess of a stadium band who created the blueprintContinue reading “Film Review: God Bless Ozzy Osbourne”
Just Step Sideways: Dean Friedman – “Well,Well”, Said the Rocking Chair
Billy Joel , Billy Schmoel. New Jersey legend Dean Friedman is where it’s at, kids. Too funky to be a crooner, too silly to be MOR, he occupied a strange position in the rock music galaxy in the seventies. Some of his music was confessional singer -songwriter, a la Elton John; some was like aContinue reading “Just Step Sideways: Dean Friedman – “Well,Well”, Said the Rocking Chair”
Album Review: Scattered Purgatory- Post Purgatory
Taiwan experimental band Scattered Purgatory, the duo of Lu Li-Yang and Lu Jiachi, gleefully put genres through the mincing machine, cackling as they go. This new album, forthcoming on the excellent Guruguru Brain label, is full of glorious surprises. Essentially, they make giallo rock, deep, dark rock with saxophone cutting through drone and clattering percussion.Continue reading “Album Review: Scattered Purgatory- Post Purgatory”
The Wit Of Ozzy
Ozzy Osbourne, who has passed away at seventy six, refuted his ‘national treasure’ status- he was far too rebellious for that. The Brummie rock legend was most recently known for his warped reality show The Osbournes but he’ll first and foremost always be the game changing frontman of Black Sabbath, heavy metal band and anContinue reading “The Wit Of Ozzy”
Goodbye Sly
Sly Stone, aka Sylvester Stewart, has passed away at eighty two. Raise a glass to a true icon, whose multiracial, mixed gender band Sly And the Family Stone influenced everyone from Prince to Primal Scream. Even Pee Wee Herman covered ‘Stand’! Having formed the band with his family in San Francisco, he expanded the line-upContinue reading “Goodbye Sly”
Film Review: A Complete Unknown
Another year, another music biopic about a problematic genius. James Mangold has of course got previous with Walk The Line. A Complete Unknown isn’t much of a departure from the Johnny Cash film, as it’s also a good character study. Here, the truculent rebel is one Bob Dylan, right at the start of his career.Continue reading “Film Review: A Complete Unknown”
Album Review: SPELLING- Portrait Of My Heart
How you perceive this album will very much depend on your liking for eighties nostalgia. Still only in her thirties, Californian artist Chrystia ‘Tia’ Cabral mines the era, despite not having grown up then. Cabral has an incredible, beautifully soulful voice,and the production quality is undoubtedly high. However, tracks like ‘Alibi’ feel like the worstContinue reading “Album Review: SPELLING- Portrait Of My Heart”
